General Phan Van Giang meets Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary in Tokyo

General Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure at meeting Kihara again two years after Kihara's official visit to Vietnam in August 2024, when he served as Japan's Minister of Defence.

He welcomed the continued substantive and effective development of Vietnam-Japan relations, underpinned by a high level of political trust, particularly since both nations upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World in 2023 during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

General Phan reaffirmed that Vietnam regards Japan as one of its leading and long-term partners, supports Japan's increasingly active role in promoting peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, and looks forward to working closely with Japan in pursuing their respective strategic autonomy goals.

The Japanese PM's official visit to Vietnam in early May this year had been highly successful, describing it as an important milestone that created new momentum and opened up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation across a wide range of fields, Giang told his host.

General Phan said the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence's high-level delegation's official visit to Japan showed Vietnam's desire to further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, particularly between their defence ministries.

He also thanked Japan's Ministry of Defence for arranging a meaningful programme and extending a warm and thoughtful welcome to the Vietnamese delegation.

He added that following Kihara's tenure as Japan's Minister of Defence, bilateral defence cooperation had continued to strengthen with practical results and has become an important pillar of bilateral relations. He expressed confidence that Kihara, in his current capacity, will continue supporting the further development of both nations' friendship and bilateral defence cooperation.

For his part, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru showed his pleasure to meet General Phan Van Giang again in Tokyo and highly valued the significance of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence delegation's visit in further boosting cooperation between the two countries and their defence ministries.

He reaffirmed that Japan attaches great importance to bolstering cooperation with Vietnam within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.

Kihara also affirmed the Japanese government's support for closer cooperation between the armed forces and expressed hope that both sides will continue carrying out the agreed areas of cooperation and voiced confidence that bilateral defence cooperation will continue to achieve further steady progress in the time ahead.

Earlier on July 13, General Phan and his delegation visited the Joint Staff College (JSC) in Tokyo, accompanied by Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu.

The delegation was welcomed by State Minister of Defence Miyazaki Masahisa, Vice Admiral Takada Tetsuya, Commandant of the college, and senior commanders of the Japan Self-Defence Forces.

During the visit, the delegation held a courtesy meeting, received a briefing on the college and toured several classrooms.

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